Folding work surface with plural section cover



April 3, 1951 L. c. FREEMAN FOLDING WORK SURFACE WITH PLURAL SECTION COVER Filed Feb. 21, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 fizvefzZ ar jowell C freenzam April 3, 1951 I c. FREEMAN FOLDING WORK SURFACE WITH PLURAL SECTION COVER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 21, 1947 Patented Apr. 3, 1951 FOLDING WORK SURFACE WITH PLURAL .SECTION COVER Lowell C. Freeman, Kalamazoo, Mich, assignor to Borg-Warner Corporation, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application February 21, 1947, Serial No. 729,927

8 Claims.

This invention relates to a movable cover for a cabinet and more particularly to such a cover for cabinets containing household appliances, as well as for kitchen ranges, and the like, having a displaceable top cover adapted to conceal a heating or other utility unit therein.

The object of the invention is to provide a movable top cover comprising a body section hinged at its front margin to a front section and at its rear margin to a. compartment of the cabinet, said cover being provided with counterbalancing means so as to retain the cover in either its open or closed position.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a cover wherein the cover is provided with means for controlling movement of the front section so as to maintain the section in its normal position when the cover is raised or lowered and during such movements of the cover.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cover as described wherein the control means for operating the front section of the cover are concealed within the cabinet when the cover is in its closed position.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cover as described wherein the front and body sections of the cover are maintained in a horizontal plane in its closed position to thereby serve as a work space and, in its raised position, adapted to position the body section in a vertical plane while maintaining the front section in a horizontal plane to thereby effect a considerable shortening of the length of the cover whereby overhead cupboards may be mounted in position above the cabinet, the raised cover facilitating their ready accessibility by the housewife.

The invention consists of the novel constructions, arrangements and devices to be hereinafter described and claimed for carrying out the above stated objects and such other objects as will appear from the following description of a certain preferred embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawings whereinz Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a kitchen cabinet and overhead cupboard unit embodying the cover construction and control means therefor of the .present invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the cover and its control arrangement, the side wall of the cabinet being removed to more clearly disclose the invention;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but illustrating the cover in raised position and the. disposition of the parts of the control arrangement therefor in such position;

Fig. 4 is agreatly enlarged view of the righthand portion of Fig. 2, a portion of the cover being broken away to more clearly illustrate the hinge arrangement for the cover, portions of the control arrangement being also broken away to show details thereof; and

Fig. 5 is a greatly enlarged sectional view the hinge arrangement for connecting the cover to the cabinet.

Like characters of reference designate like parts in the several views.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in Fig. 1 a kitchen unit comprising a cabinet l0 having connected thereto overhanging or overhead cupboards H by means of a wall I 2. The cabinet [0 is of the type having a displaceable cover, generally indicated at l3, providing a top for a compartment of the cabinet and adapted to be hinged to the cabinet at the rear of the compartment so that the cover maybe raised to gain access to household appliances such as heating units, laundry tubs or machines, and the like. The wall l2 also forms the rear wall of the cabinet and to said wall may be fixedly secured an angle member or panel I l in any desired manner, a vertical portion I5 of the angle member it being offset from the wall I 2 for a purpose hereinafter described and a horizontal portion is of said angle member is extending toward the cover to provide an upper surface in alignment with the top of the cover I3.

The cover l3 comprises a flat body section I! and a front section it which cooperate in the closed position of the cover to provide a continuous top surface which may be utilized for work operations, to support household wares, and the like. It will be noted that the front section l8 of the cover is of angular cross section with one of the flanges thereof providing an apron extending downwardly over the front of the cabinet to present an offset portion of the cabinet which considerably adds to the attractiveness and aesthetic appearance of the cabinet and also to provide a convenient handle for lowering the cover to its closed position.

The body section ll of the cover i3 is hinged at the rear margin thereof to the angle member It as clearly shown in Fig. 5. The hinge arrangement is adapted to permit the raising and lowering of the cover l3 to open and closed positions and comprises the hinge I9 having one leaf l9a thereof secured to the body section] ll of the cover and the other leaf [91) secured to the bottom of the horizontal portion !8 ofthe' angle member [4 as by a weld 2B. To insurethe leaf comprises a 1 ment is provided at each n COVE]:

491) being held securely to the angle member it, an L-shaped bracket ii is provided, the upper portion of which extends into the space between. the wall l2 and the vertical portion 0 angle member it and is welded to th her it as at 22 and The lower, hori extending portion of "fi welded to the horizontal portion it i th- 14 at a point 3 spaced from t bracket. Th8 lei" termina beyond the weld 23, is be.u downw in such manner that this terminal portion,

the portion "1y there from. A bolt Flea carried by this terminal tion is threaded into nut 2 3 to the it?) of hinge as as by the weld the nut bei disposed between the upper side of tie minal portion of bracket and the of portion It of angle member 5 bracket therebetween.

The" leaf lea of the h;-

as shown i arwardly extending oortion 6Z5 ad jacent the pivot point of ti e h and forr in an acute angle rit the hinge leaf E211. the no]. tion 25 connecting with an arcuate no 'on un derlying and spaced from the do. tending adjacent end flanges of the ll of the cover and the angle the formed at its extremity to provide a 2'! engaging the bottom of the bo y s of the cover and secured thereto as l A support member 29 is welded as o e bottom of the body section 5? of l 8%] and is centrally offset so that t -...e o

will underlie the end portion of inge l b Illa, a nut being disposed betwee; the I member 25: and the hi ge 1621f Eta and secure to n the leaf by the weld 23' and to the support member 29 by a bolt shown.

stood that the above described iinge Eu. a

of the body section. I! of the cover at the re l largins thereof and the adjacent margin of the angle member It will be apparent that the hinge ii? is thus concealed below the cover it in its normal closed position and will pernit the cover to be raised due to the rear ti of the hinge i without the ad wardly extending f nges of the cor member ii presenting any i1 tcrierence to the and for the that these cupboards located cabinet wi iin 1 reach or the boss for storage, ot that the s nuld hav pacity, covers which are i panel to close the coronal would be objectionable nasmuch when I cover is raised to its elevated position, it would interfere with the use of the cupboards blocking the the or ards thitthe cupboards inaccessible, or 1 be p sitic-n a suiilcie cabinet to allow clearai in its of the housewife while s the household appliance 5;: unit within the cabinet when s raised position, the body secemplates improved control he movement of the cover r the i'ront section 58 thereof "1511111 3? assume relative to the cover 5? dining 1': .'e nt of the cover to 1 its and open position. The cont um. zed for this purpose is i and comprises a support cont igs. 3

l or bracket which may have an upper vertical portion thereof extending between the wall 92 nd t1 e an e member 5% and securely fastened to the angle member by means of bracket having a horrlying the angle mem- .cal portion 3? extending having laterally extending wing porto the bracket by means of bolt s and =32. The bracket 49 otally connected thereto by means of a pin one end of a lever or arm Q3. The other end of tie lever is Avila 1211137 connected by a pin 45 to a to u ed to the nt section it of the cover by n" ns of bolts ll as shown in Fig. 2 idering lever arrange-dent desci l he appu'ent that the lever 43, due to n to the stationary bracket is or" the cover it and, because of the s as set een the lge pivot is and the hinge pin are, wil to cause the opposite end of the lever to pivot about the pin with respect to l -ct t section 58 to maintain r section in a horizontal position during raising lowering of the cover 53 thus ef- .ositlon an J, insure the cover in tained its c I cn, the brackl, is formed with a laterion 48 having an opening g the loop end of a tie end of tie member lever 43 to the bracket 46. It will be apparent that a counterbal-ancing arrangement is thus provided by the arrangement and; proper relative spacing of the pivotal connectionsof the tie member 59 and the laterally extending portion 48 of the bracket 40, the adjacent end of the lever t3 and bracket 49, and the common pivot point 45 of the spring 52 and lever 43, will cause the spring to obtain its maximum tension when the cover is in a midposition between the top of the cabinet and the wall I2 of the cabinet and to exert sufiicient retractive force at one side of said midposition to cause the section I8 and thereby the section I? to be drawn toward the top of the cabinet In to the closed position of the cover. At the other side of said midposition, the spring 52 will act to elevate the cover l3 to the position shown in Fig. 3 and to prevent the unwanted displacement of the cover l3 in its raised position.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that I have provided a movable cover for a cabinet comprising a fiat body section and a front section having control means for maintaining the front section in its normal position during movement to and in the closed and open positions of the cover and also for retaining the cover in its closed or open position. While I have shown and described my improved cover and control means therefor embodied in a kitchen cabinet, it will be obvious that the invention may be incorporated in various other types of cabinets and, therefore, the scope of the invention is to be construed only as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A cover comprising a plural section, articulated assembly arranged to provide a combined work surface and lid in one position but displaceable to a second position wherein the sections are pivoted with respect to each other to reduce the extension of said assembly in one dimension, said assembly including a rear supporting member, a main table section hinged to said supporting member, a front section hinged to the table section, and a link connecting said supporting member and said front section so that as the assembly is displaced the front section is caused to pivot with respect to the table section as the table section pivots with respect to the sup-porting member.

2. A cover comprising a plural section, articulated assembly arranged to provide a combined work surface and lid in one position but displaceable to a second position wherein the sections are pivoted with respect to each other to reduce the extension of said assembly in one dimension, said assembly including a rear supporting member, a main table section hinged to said supporting member, a front section hinged to the table section, a link connecting said supporting member and said front section so that as the assembly is displaced the front section is caused to pivot with respect to the table section as the table section pivots with respect to the supporting member, and resilient means associated with said assembly for urging said assembly into said first or said second position in accordance with the proximity of said assembly to one or the other of said positions.

3. A cover comprising a supporting section, a fiat body section, and a front section, said body section being hinged at its rear margin to the supporting section and at its front margin to said front section, and means controlling movement of said front section relative to said body section during movement of said cover to cause fiatbody sectiomanda front section, said body section b eing'hi'nged at its rear margin to the supporting'section and hinged at its front margin to the front section, and means controlling movement'of said front section relative to said body section during movement of said cover to maintain said front section in a plane substantially parallel to the plane it occupied when said movement was initiated.

5. A cover comprising, a supporting section, a fiat body section, and a front section, said body section being hinged at its rear margin to the supporting section and hinged at its front margin to the front section, and a link attached at one end to said front section and at its other end to said supporting section controlling movement of said front section relative to said body section during the movement of said cover to maintain said front section in a plane substantially parallel to the plane it occupied when said movement was initiated.

6. A cover comprising a supporting section, a flat body section,.and a front section, said body section being hinged at its rear margin to the supporting section and hinged at its front margin to the front section, and a link attached at one end to said front section and at its other end to said supporting section to maintain a constant spacing between the front section and the supporting section, the body section being hinged to the supporting section at a point displaced from the normal juncture of said body section and said supporting section so that as the body section is pivoted with respect to the supporting section, the spacing therebetween varies.

7. A cover comprising a plural section, articulated assembly arranged to provide a combined work surface and lid in one position but displaceable to a second position wherein the sections are pivoted with respect to each other to reduce the extension of said assembly in one dimension, said assembly including a rear supporting member adapted to be secured to a wall or other ver tical support, a main table portion hinged to the supporting member, a front section hinged to the table section and a link connecting said supporting member and said front section so that as the assembly is displaced the front section is caused to pivot with respect to the table section as the table section pivots with respect to the supporting member, said link being attached to said front section at a point substantially removed from the pivot axis thereof with respect to the table section.

8. A cover comprising a plural section, articulated assembly arranged to provide a combined work surface and lid in one position but displaceable to a second position wherein the sections are pivoted with respect to each other to reduce the extension of said assembly in one dimension;

said assembly including a rear supporting member adapted to be secured to a wall or other vertical support, a main table portion hinged to the supporting member, a front section hinged to the table section, a tension spring associated with said assembly for urging said assembly into said first or second position in accordance with the proximity of the assembly to one or the other position, said spring being attached to the front section at a point immediately adjacent the point of attachment of said link arm and attached to said supporting section at a point immediately adjacent the point of attachment thereto of the In If Iink,,and ail-inkconnecting said suppoiii-ngmemr her and said front. section so that as thetassembly is displaced the front, section is caused to pivot with'respectto. the: table section as the. table section pivots with respect to the suppozting member, said link being attached to said front section at a point substantial-1y removed from the pivot axis thereof with respect to the table section.

LOWELL. c. FREEMAN.

REFERENCES, .CIT Elf)v 'Thefollowing references are of record in the .file of this patent:

UNITED STATES BATENTS' Number Name Date Dummer Nov. 19, 187-2 Teller Aug. 25, 1931 Hammer v Aug. 2, 1932 Froel-ich 1 Apr. 2&1, I934 Tea'gue, Jr. Nov. 23,v 1937 Moecker- July 19, 1938 

